The VRT3542 from Superior
A 42" vent-free firebox with a tall 28" clean-faced opening — no chimney, no vent run. The Superior VRT3542 is the enclosure half of a vent-free fireplace: listed to ANSI Z21.91, it hosts any ANSI Z21.11.2-listed vent-free gas log heater up to 40,000 BTU/hr input, sold separately. The cabinet is heat-circulating, mesh firescreens ship fitted to the opening, and the interior comes as White Stacked or White Herringbone refractory. from $1,219.
Choose the VRT3542 if you want a wide built-in fireplace opening where a chimney or vent run is impossible — it frames into a 48-1/4" x 44-1/4" rough opening, parallel or corner, sits directly on an ordinary combustible floor, and burns the log set you pick separately.
It is not right for a sleeping room or a bathroom — this series is barred from both, and Massachusetts bars vent-free heaters from bedrooms and bathrooms statewide. It burns room air, so a tightly sealed space that cannot spare combustion air is also the wrong home for it. For those rooms, a sealed direct-vent fireplace such as Superior's DRT3000 series is the one to look at instead.
Specifications
Frame a rough opening 48-1/4" wide by 44-1/4" high, 20-1/2" deep to the back wall of the chase including finishing materials, parallel or in a corner. The cabinet is 47-3/4" wide, 41-1/4" high and 20" deep; the interior measures 41" across the front, 17-3/8" deep and 28" high — the figures Superior publishes for sizing a compatible log set, and the price book pairs this series with 18" and 24" sets. Ceiling, side and mantel clearances to combustible material are all set by the manual charts — see Figure 2 and Figure 2a on page 6 and Figure 4 on page 7 of the installation manual, with the optional hood installed.
How the VRT3542 compares to the VRT3536
The two VRT3500 sizes share the same 28"-tall clean-faced opening, 17-3/8" interior depth, liner choices and accessory list; they differ in width. This 42" gives a 41"-wide interior at from $1,219; the 36" gives a 35"-wide interior at from $999. The rough opening shrinks with the size — width steps from 48-1/4" down to 42-1/4".
Features
- 42" firebox with a tall 28" clean-faced opening and a heat-circulating cabinet
- Vent-free — no chimney and no vent run; the room supplies its combustion air
- Hosts any ANSI Z21.11.2-listed vent-free gas log heater up to 40,000 BTU/hr input, sold separately
- Two factory interiors — White Stacked or White Herringbone refractory panels and floor
- Mesh firescreens ship fitted to the opening
- Blower-ready — FBK-100 or FBK-200 kits install beneath the firebox
Answers to common questions
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: 42" x 28" clean-faced (front open) firebox opening; Refractory liner panels and floor — White Stacked or White Herringbone; Mesh firescreens, fitted to the opening; ANSI Z21.91-listed firebox enclosure; 20-year limited warranty on body, firebox, and barrier.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Vent Free Burner/Log Set - accepts 18" and 24" vent-free burners and log sets; any ANSI Z21.11.2-listed set up to 40,000 BTU/hr input — the firebox is the enclosure and burns nothing on its own; Gas Line - 1/2" to 1-1/2" ID approved line run by a qualified installer, connected before the wall is closed.
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Optional: The firebox canopy (hood), which shrinks the mantel clearances; the arched screen door, sold with the canopy; a blower kit with its junction box/electrical kit; the outside air kit; and a wall switch — the firebox operates fully without any of them.
Does it need a chimney or a vent?
No — this firebox is vent-free and nothing about it vents outside. It uses air from the room it is installed in, so the room must supply adequate combustion and ventilation air; the manual's worksheet classifies your space, and the optional outside air kit ducts combustion air in from outside where a room runs tight.
Where can it go — and where can't it?
Any ordinary living space that can spare combustion air — framed into a wall or a corner, directly on a combustible floor. It cannot go in a sleeping room or a bathroom; it cannot go in an RV; keep it out of high-traffic, windy or drafty spots and keep flammable objects 42" from the front. Massachusetts additionally requires a licensed gas fitter and a working smoke detector in the area. Over carpet or vinyl it sits on a metal or wood barrier covering its full footprint.
Do I need the hood (firebox canopy)?
No — the hood is optional on this series, and the price book notes no canopy is required for most applications. What it buys you is mantel room: with the FC42 hood installed a combustible mantel follows Figure 4, and without it the clearances grow and follow Figure 5 — both on page 7 of the installation manual, and both depend on how far the mantel projects. If you add the decorative arched screen door, the price book requires the canopy with it. Never substitute the canopy packed with a log heater for Superior's own.
Does it use electricity?
No — the firebox itself has no electrical components and runs no wiring in its standard form. Electricity enters only if you add a blower kit: rough in a 3-wire 120 VAC, 60 Hz supply before the walls are closed, and add the junction box/electrical kit, which is not packed with the firebox.
How does the warranty work if something goes wrong?
Superior warrants the firebox, and The Torch Guys handles it for you — we register the appliance and, if you ever need to claim, we deal with the manufacturer on your behalf rather than handing you a phone number. The body, firebox and barrier carry a 20-year limited warranty; optional blowers carry one year. Keep your invoice and the model number; we hold the rest on file.
